Street-crossing signal.



J. W. NETHERCUTL STREET CROSSING SIGNAL, v

APPLICATION mm JAN. 13. 19!]. I

Juiy 3, 1917. 2 SHEETS-SWEET II JOHN W. NETHERCUTT, OF HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

STREET-CROSSING SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July a, ram.

Application filed January 13, 1917. Serial No. 142,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. Nn'rnnnoo'rr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Huntington, in the county of Cabell, and in the State of West Virginia, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Street-Crossing Signals, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to signal devices for controlling, or directing traflic at street corners. As commonly constructed, these devices are provided with four arms which contain the words Stop and Go, the arms bein connected to a common shaft and rotate altogether so that two' arms facing the same direction exhibit the word Stop and two arms at right anglesfacin the same direction exhibit the word o. A deficiency exists in these devices in that they do not take into account the changing direction of travel of a vehicle at a crossing. Thus for illustration, if the traf fic north and south is signaled Stop and the traific east and west is signaled Go a vehicle traveling west from the east and desiring to turn south will be confronted by the Stop signal to south-going trailic. The object of my invention is to provide in a simple and efficient device a traflic signal which will be able to deal with such a condition as that just described, and to this end my invention consists in the apparatus having the construction substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanyin drawings Figure 1 is a top p an viewfof a traflic signal embodying my invention;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the upper part thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are, respectively, detail views in top plan, side elevation and'bottom plan view of the signal board carrying head;

Fig. 6 is a detail view in side elevation of the supporting standard, or post;

Figs. 7 and Bare, respectively plan and side views of the supplemental signal operatin arm;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are, respectively, detail views ofthe operating handle and locking devices vfor the main signal arms;

Figs. 12 andj13 ar re pwtii y, de ail views-of the handle supporting and attaching clamp.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, I employ a round vertical standard, or post 5 fixed to and rising from the signal-carrying post 50 through a quarter of a clrcle, or ninety de ees, the si ls will be shifted so that Gd will be e h ibited in the direction just previously occupied by the word Stop. The signal-carrying arms or boards 8 are rigidly, or immovably attached to the rotating post 50, so that they have no motion relative to the latter, or to 'each other and they are, respectively, at-

tached to radial ribs, or lugs 14 on the sides of a cast head 140 having flanges 3 at top and bottom and projecting downward at its lower end having a square or flat sided shank 13 which is inserted in the correspondingly shaped upper end of the tubular post 50 and thereby a proper connection made with the latter.

For turning the arm-carrying post 50, a handle 15 is provided, which at one end is connected with a clamp collar 17 on the post 50, said collar having a clamping bolt 19 passing through opposin outwardly projecting arms upon it, and a bolt 21 which passes through a part-of the handle lying between" said arms, and which -forms a pivotal support for the handle'15 on which it m y swing vertically so as to place a latch lug 16 carried on the underside of the handle into and out of engagement with locking slots, or notches 24 and 26 provided, respectively, in the supporting standard 5, and the post 50. The slots 24 are ninety degrees apart and by the turning of the standard 50 the slot 26 in the side of the latter may be placed in alinement with either of said slots 24, and when so alined and the lug 16 is passed through them, the standard 50 is lockedfrom rotating. At its inner end the handle 15 has a hook 18 adapted to engage the clamping bolt 19 when the handle tain the latter in that position, and the sliding movement of the handle 15 is necessary to first disengage the hook 18 from the bolt v lever.

angle levers 2 are, respectively, connected,- '40 19 when it is desired that the locking lug 16 shall enter the alining slots 24 and 26. A slot 20 is provided in the handle 15 through which passes the pivot bolt 21 that allows the longitudinal movement of the handle necessary to disengage it from the clamp bolt 19 and to reengage it therewith.

Besides the signal carrying arms 8, which are rigidly and immovably attached to the 'post 50, there are four supplemental signalcarrying arms 7 which are pivoted so that they may swing from a position lying intermediate an adjacent pair of stationary arms 8, which is a non-indicating position, to a position lying over the word-carrying side of the stationary arm 8' to enable the substitution for the word exhibited by such stationary arm of a contrary word which is carried on the swingingarm 7, as for example, the substitution of the word Go or Turn for Stop and the substitution of the word Stop for Goor Turn. The arms 7 are connected so as to swing simultaneously pairs, the two arms thus connected in a pair being ninety degrees apart, and they are so connected by an angle lever 2 which at its elbow, or'angle ism ounted on the arm pivoting rod 11 and at its outer end each lever arm has 'a pin and hole connection with the appropriate signal bearing arm 7, which pin and hole connection in one instance is one in which the hole has the form of a slot 10 because the arm 7 thus connected with the lever 2 is pivoted eccentrically to said angle The pivoting rods 11 to which the are carried downward alongside the post 50 and at a convenient height for reaching by the operator are extended outwardly to form for. each a handle 23 by the manipulation of which the supplemental signals are actuated. As will be evident both the main and the supplemental signals being carried by the rotatable post 50 all turn together when the handle 15 is operated. The device afor latching the post 15 against turning is desirable in order that it may remain stationary when the supplemental carrying arms 23 are turned. It will be seen that by means of my supplemental signs it is possible so to control trafiic that a vehicle not desiring to continue onward past a crossing in the same direction in which it approaches, but for example desiring to turn south after coming to 'the crossing from the east, may be signaled so to do and traffic that would otherwise interfere can be held in check.

Preferably the operating handles are so arranged with reference to the signals that they point, or extend in the direction in Which traflic flows, or moves.

of signal-carrying members, means The operation of the signal apparatus shown may be illustrated as follows: Suppose the main signal arms 8 are turned to a position for stopping traific north and south and releasing it east and west, and a vehicle approaches from the east which desires to turn south. To signal such a vehicle that it may turn south the supplemental arm 7 bearing the word Turn i's swung from the north position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings where it covers the Stop signal of the stationary arm 8 to uncover that signal, to the position tocover the Stop signal that arrests southward traffic, anddisplays thereat the signal Turn, and at the same time the supplemental signal arm 7 connected therewith by the angle lever 2 is swung to place Stop over the Go signal of the south signal-carrying arm 8, thus stopping eastward traffic. As soon as the vehicle makes the turn to the south the pair of supplemental signal arms 7 just referred to, will be moved to their former positions, thus exposing the signal Go on both sides and in both directions east and west.

For the more convenient understanding of the arrangement shown in the drawings on Fig. 1, the words Stop Go and Turn are printed to designate those sides of the arms 7 and 8 which carry these words, and also .the initials of the four points of the compass are noted to elucidate the operation above described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is- 1. A traffic si al comprising a plurality or changing their signaling position, and a supplemental signal-carrying member movable to and from a position to cancel the signal of one of the other signal-carrying members, the canceling and the canceled signals having different significations.

2. A traific signal comprising a plurality of signal-carrying members, a rotatable support upon which they are mounted from which they radiate in four directions, and a supplemental signal-carrying member shiftable to and from a position where it serves as a substitute for the signal. onone of said other signal-carrying members, there being one of said supplemental signal carrying members for each of said other signalcarrying members.

3. A traflic signal comprising a rotatable support, four signal-carrying arms fixedly mounted on said support and radiating therefrom in different directions, four supplemental signal-carrying arms, and means for swinging said supplemental signal carrying arms in pairs to substitute their signals for those on an adjacent pair of the main signal-carrying arms.-

4. A traflio signal comprising a rotatable nals for those on an adjacent pair of the. support, four signal-carrying arms fixedly main signal-carrying arms, said supplemenmounted on said support and radiating tal arms and their operating means also be- 10 therefrom in different directions, four suping carried by said rotatable support.

5 plemental signal-carrying arms, and means In testimony that I claim the foregoing for swinging said supplemental signal-car- I have hereunto set 111 hand. rying arms in pairs to substitute their sig- JOHN NETHERCUTT. 

